Floyd Mayweather Jr. lands a left jab against Robert Guerrero in the fifth round during a WBC welterweight title fight, Saturday, in Las Vegas. RICK BOWMER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS – Everybody complains about the Mayweather, but nobody can do anything about it.

He made his annual visit to a competitive boxing ring Saturday night and, for an estimated $32 million, turned his opponent into scenery.

Oh, Robert Guerrero knew Floyd Mayweather was there. He received enough hard right hands in the face, including a titanic shot in the eighth round that awakened the restless customers in MGM Grand Garden Arena.

But, as usual, Mayweather was the master and commander of this welterweight fight, and for the 44th time in 44 fights he was the winner, by identical scores of 117-111 by the three judges. Even that seemed generous, since it gave Guerrero three rounds.

"I feel bad I couldn't give the fans a knockout but I hurt my right hand," Mayweather said. "It's swollen right now."

Guerrero did require some figuring out by Mayweather. He is a rugged, 30-year-old lefty with lots of will and durability. He also is a legitimate welterweight who had bullied Andre Berto in his previous fight.

Early on, Guerrero grabbed Mayweather whenever he could, then waited for Mayweather to miss one of those rights and was ready to counter. For an instant one could see it working. Mayweather glared intently at Guerrero when the first round expired.

But, as always, Mayweather refused to miss enough punches, especially after he measured Guerrero and discovered the best angles. It took him approximately three rounds.

It wasn't the magic show that Mayweather displayed against Juan Manuel Marquez or Shane Mosley or Oscar De La Hoya. But then he hadn't fought for a year, had to build himself back up after a 90-day jail sentence, and is, after all, 36 years old.

"He slipped a lot of punches," Guerrero said. "He's a great fighter, like we all know. He hit me with some great body shots and that's why he's undefeated. He's slick. He's better than I thought."

Mayweather's defense still is there. Backing him into a corner and expecting to keep him there is like herding an exceptionally muscular cat.

But in his past few fights, Mayweather has become more of a sit-down puncher, as prescribed by his uncle Roger Mayweather, who ceded an active corner role to Floyd Mayweather Sr.

"I've got to give a lot of credit to my father," Mayweather said. "I needed him tonight, and he told me the less I got hit, the better. I realized after the (Miguel) Cotto fight that my defense had slipped, and I had to hone my skills."

"I thought Floyd did an excellent job," Floyd Sr. said. "Honestly he could have danced the whole fight, but he used his defense, and I told him to steal it with the right hand. That was the shot he (Guerrero) couldn't see."

Overall the card lacked the juice it had promised, although you couldn't hold Abner Mares responsible.

Mares moved up from bantamweight to featherweight, floored former champion Daniel Ponce De Leon, survived a rally by the southpaw in the middle rounds, and then floored him again and finished him in the ninth, improving his record to 26-0-1.

The real winner was manager Frank Espinoza, who has both fighters and was able to exhale for the first time all week. Thanks to the uncrossable DMZ that exists between Top Rank and Golden Boy, Mares' most promising fights can't be made, so he is likely to stay unbeaten approximately as long as Mayweather is.

The best news for boxing fans is that Mayweather is committed to five more fights during a 2 1/2-year span, which almost is hyperactive considering the Floyd has fought only six times since he beat De La Hoya six years ago today. The Rolling Stones tee it up more often than that.

But Mayweather has not said he will not retire at the end of that $200 million Showtime deal.

The fans whistled and booed in the 12th round as Mayweather went into full protection mode. He won't be able to surmount the ravages of the calendar any better than anyone else.

But it's still difficult to find somebody who can beat him. There is talk about Canelo Alvarez, who looked so vital in beating Austin Trout in San Antonio.

It's conceivable that Lucas Matthysse, the violent knockout artist from Argentina, could be an opponent if he gets past Lamont Peterson.

The true index of Mayweather's dominance is how few times he sends the fans home begging for a rematch.

Those conditions prevailed again Saturday. It might not be summertime for Mayweather anymore, but the money is easy.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.